I am thunderstruck. To a northern city slicker like myself (well, not really, but MA is pretty densely populated), that is astounding.

I have never seen even a single rattlesnake in the wild, let alone an army of them like that. If they are so common that you can encounter that many in a single day if you go looking for them, how on earth do you people avoid getting bitten occasionally while puttering around outdoors? Evidently the place is crawling, er, slithering, with them!

Seriously, how on earth is it safe to live where you do?

And, what kind of weapon did you take them with?

rantingredneck said:

Quote:

Tried some a friend cooked once. Not bad.

I wouldn't mind trying some if I had the opportunity, but it doesn't look like I will if I continue living up here.

See quite a few around here and have had 'em in the yard and even in the garage. I try to avoid killing them and the local fire department will come and move them if requested. I figure they keep the pack rat population down and the rats are a lot more bother than the rattlers.

Nope that was this morning. We see them quite a bit round here. I really don't mess with them too much till I see one in the yard, then I'll shoot him (usually with a .22lr to the head), skin em and fry em up....that's some good eatin.

Even my little Boston Terrier got a hold of one the other day, tore it apart pretty good. I was lucky he didn't get bit.

I was given it today and told it was taken this morning...my bad. I'd believe it though as we run into them all the time, plus it looks just like Palo Duro (but then again I know other places that look the same). Still a cool pic.

What is the size of those? Are they adults? What congregates them like that? I have easterns around me and have never seen 2 in one spot like that. The ones around here share gopher tortoise dens or use the abandoned ones...
Junior got me a real good fright with this one... He had it strategically placed right out the door when he came in and whispered in my ear to go see what he got outside... we had just been out shooting shotguns and I had left him as it was HOTTTT and I was ready for a beer... I tell you I never knew I could tap dance and cuss at one time and managed not to pee myself!
Brent

I was given it today and told it was taken this morning...my bad. I'd believe it though as we run into them all the time, plus it looks just like Palo Duro (but then again I know other places that look the same). Still a cool pic.

Uh-oh, did I step in it this time? I read too hastily and I guess I was somehow under the impression that that picture showed your work.

In our area we have an Annual Rattlesnake Roundup thats held a little north of the Red River in a little town called Waurika, OK. I've only missed a few of these things since I was a small boy, but when I got old enough we have hunted a few times. Usually there are more than 1500-5000 rattlers held in pens at one time there that have been trapped. They also have a contest to see who can bag baby rattlesnakes the fastest, they dump 5 baby rattlers out on the bed of a trailer, and you have to rebag them. a lot of fun, but very dangerous. They have EMTs at standby constantly at these events.

But when we are hunting rattlers its a very exhilarating feeling when you come upon a den full of snakes, but the smell is god awful...:barf:

And BTW, fried rattlesnake isnt that bad, but not as meaty as I would like it to be.

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Ammunition's no good if you don't have the guns and mags to load it up in...

Those are some big rattlers. I had a friend in high school around 1980 and his parents had 40 acres of vacation property in eastern Washington not too far from Goldendale. They called the neighboring ridge rattlesnake ridge and for good reason. We would wander around the property with .22 rifles (mine a Marlin and his an old Remington, both bolt guns) looking for snakes. We might bag several in a day between the two of us if it didn't get too hot to keep us from trying. It could hit 105ºF there. The biggest we ever saw was about half the size of the smaller one pictured of the two big ones. We would occasionally find a nest of 6 or 7 in a hole or under a stump. Most of them were 4 feet long or less.

The meat was quite tasty! I haven't eaten snake since. One of these days I may have to take a trip over there..

One day his nephew was dinking around under the camp trailer and somebody went to check on him. The kid was probably four or five. He was under there poking at a diamondback with a stick! Mr. snake was quite riled up. We hauled it out of there with a rake and put one in it's head. Scary moment!

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"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." The Dalai Llama (5/15/01, The Seattle Times)
"That rifle on the wall of the labourer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there." George Orwell

The first photo in the thread was taken at Palo Duro- but not in the state park part. It was east of Hwy 207 close the the JA Ranch boundary line.

The other photo, with the feller standing on a sidewalk in front of tin buildings- was taken at the old Turkey Creek booster plant on Hwy 136 between Fritch and Amarillo. Relative of the guy's wife works where I do.

I don't mind living in areas where these things roam... at least they're not bears, aligators, or other such things that might dislodge me from the top of the foodchain!

I almost stepped on a small (about 12") rattlesnake once in Wyoming. Buddy of mine saw it and grabbed me before I put my foot on it. Scared the holy hell out of me. That's the only one I've ever seen. I might never recover from a seeing a big old nest of the nasty things.....

As we headed side-by-side down a dusty logging road on our motorcycles, me and Mrs. Grymster each leaned out a bit to avoid a rattler curled up right in the middle of the road. We stopped a couple hundred feet away and she said “was that a rattlesnake? let’s go look at it!”. We headed back on foot and checked it out. Then, the ever-lovely missus said she’d never heard the sound of the rattle before. I looked around and the only stick I could find was about 18” long. I think I said “ahh craaaap” and went about riling him up.

It got my adrenaline going to say the least, but rattlers are not particularly fast and I considered myself in no real danger. I considered myself in far more danger when on a more recent occasion I nearly grabbed one while gathering firewood. It’s one thing to be aware of a rattler’s presence out in an open area and quite another to stumble onto one in a jumble of logs and branches.

grymster2007: Do you mean they are not quick when it's cold out, or always? Cause I've seen them on tv covering groud very, very quickly, and they strike at about 100mph...

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To kill something as great as a duck just to smell the gunpowder is a crime against nature. - Alan Liere
Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. - George Bernard Shaw

grymster2007: Do you mean they are not quick when it's cold out, or always?

It was hot out when I had to rile up that rattler. I would guess it was 3 1/2 - 4 feet long and pretty thick. It tried to strike me, but it never tried advancing. I don't think they can strike more than about a third of their body length and that seemed to be the case. I've never seen on TV or elsewhere, a rattler that could cover ground at more than a couple mph.

100mph strike speed? That'd be nearly 150fps... I'm very skeptical! I doubt they could do more than 1/10 that.

I don't know enuff to say FACT at 150fps... But I can tell you I won't goof with one with a device shorter than more than their length. I have MANY times had them strike and rebound faster than you can see.
I also know the first several strikes are merely warning lunges... The ones that count are with mouth wide agape and the 1/3rd is a minimum assumption... I have seen a four footer with only under one foot still on the ground. Needless to say inertia was a force in action. These are a very strong animal and to think a measly stick on the neck is gonna pin one for long is VERY OPTIMISTIC!
They feel as strong as a mad tomcat when trying to pin one to graps his neck to sack him up.
As for concealment... a coiled pygmy rattler is one of the hardest critters to spot!

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